The New Zealand Rugby Union yesterday backed down from its decision to cull four teams from the top flight of the national provincial championship, citing the threat of legal action from the four culled unions and a shift in the position of the players' association regarding the proposed 10-team premier division, six-team first division format.
Instead, it will be left to the collective bargaining process, which will determine a new player contracting model, a new salary cap and costs, and a new competition format.
It is this process that has effectively stymied the NZRU's bid to push through changes to the Air New Zealand Cup in time for next year, although the resistance of the endangered unions played its part too.
"There is a fair amount of frustration," NZRU chairman Jock Hobbs said yesterday.
"The decisions we made were the only sensible ones we could make in regard to the fact appeals have been lodged - indeed one [Counties] was lodged on the eve of the board meeting - the fact legal action outside of that had been threatened, and also given the shift in position of the players in respect to the competition.
"Given those factors, the roll-over of the competition from this year into 2010 was really the only sensible decision we could make."
Tew, who will be seen, probably unfairly, as the loser in all this, recognised that the bargaining team will now play the biggest role in shaping the future of domestic rugby.
"We knew that ultimately whatever we put in place had to get through a collective negotiation."
Tew said he would like to see that process wrapped up by Christmas.
Head of the New Zealand Rugby Players Association Rob Nichol welcomed the challenge last night and, at the same time, endorsed the leadership of Hobbs and the under-fire Tew.
"The pressure is absolutely on collective bargaining and that is the way we want it. We take that responsibility very seriously.
"It's been a really tough few months but the board has made a really good decision, which has created a platform from which we can now work," Nichol said.
"You have to remember Steve and Jock are working in a time when we are hosting the World Cup in 2011, we are trying to sort out the landscape for international rugby, we are making changes to Super rugby and we are trying to do the same for domestic rugby.
They have both worked extremely hard and extremely well to pull that all together.
"We just have to get domestic rugby sorted out and I have every confidence we will do that shortly."
While Hobbs and Tew are still publicly backing the 10-6-10 format they pushed in July, this is a face-saving position more than anything.
The six-team second tier has been almost impossible to sell to stakeholders and it is difficult to see that changing.
"That might be their preference and that is fair enough, but they have been sensible enough to leave the door open for another option if it is more compelling and that's exactly what we are after," Nichol said.
Hobbs said he could not offer an opinion on the players' proposal for two seven-team divisions with inter-divisional play, but did say: "They have tabled it and the bargaining team will give consideration to it."
What Hobbs and Tew were unequivocal about was the fact the competition would not remain as a 14-team round-robin format beyond 2010.
There will be a hybrid competition of some sort in World Cup year.
In 2012, the future begins.
What shape it will take remains to be seen.
Domestic rugby
- The NZRU flip-flopStatus quo (14 teams in Air NZ Cup, 12 in Heartland Championship) in 2010.
- NZRU management made recommendation, board voted in favour.
- Collective employment negotiations and legal threats cited for backtrack.
- Plan is still to look at 10-6 split in 2011.
- NZRU still wants sustainable player payment model and salary cap.
- Dylan Cleaver of the NZ Herald
